Chills & Thrills Paranormal Boxed Set (10 page)

Except for the wake caused by their boat and the rush of
water around a floating log a short distance ahead, the river was clear as
glass.

"When did you become such a worrier? We haven't seen or
heard an alligator since we started out."

He made an annoyed sound, and she noticed he changed course
slightly to avoid the log. Choosing to ignore his warning, she idly splashed
her feet. The pirogue tied in front of the gate created small waves that washed
deliciously over her ankles, and she couldn't resist leaning forward to scoop
up a just given a motive by suggesting that his beliefs in an evil power had
driven him to madness.

"Grief does strange things," he said, forcing
himself to let go of the flask without taking a drink.

"I suppose it does." She lifted her feet, propped
them on the console, and slumped a bit in her chair. "I'll feel better
when we find him."

"We'll find him, Liz, we'll find him."

Liz met his earnest gaze and for a moment got lost in the
crystal-blue eyes she remembered so well. It felt like the old times she wanted
to avoid, going over her worries with Zach. And comfortable . . . something
she'd prefer not to acknowledge.

"Thanks," she said. "Talking about it helps."

"Does that mean I'm good for something?"

Liz smiled at his self-deprecation. "This doesn't sound
like the Zach I remember."

"Just being humble." He laughed so contagiously
she couldn't resist joining him.

Nothing had changed, but she did feel better, or would, if
the sun weren't beating down on her so intensely. She hadn't been beneath rays
this strong since she'd taken her folks to Florida a few years back, and her
skin was already reddening. "You see any sunscreen in the bin?"

"Think so." He gestured to his left. "Try the
back one."

She replaced the journal in the plastic bag, then slid it
into a pocket of her overalls and buttoned it securely before going to search
the bin.

Sure enough, there it was, and she applied the lotion
lavishly, but still felt hot and sticky. The water looked cool, and she eyed it
with longing, then noticed the ramp gate that folded both in and out as needed.
Walking to it, she pulled out the securing pins and brought it back, still
folded, to lie on the deck. Next, she sat down, took off her shoes and socks,
and dangled her toes in the rippling water.

Instantly, she felt less overheated.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Zach said.

"Why?"

"There're gators all over the place and it's mating
season."

Except for the wake caused by their boat and the rush of
water around a floating log a short distance ahead, the river was clear as
glass.

"When did you become such a worrier? We haven't seen or
heard an alligator since we started out."

He made an annoyed sound, and she noticed he changed course
slightly to avoid the log.

Choosing to ignore his warning, she idly splashed her feet.
The pirogue tied in front of the gate created small waves that washed
deliciously over her ankles, and she couldn't resist leaning forward to scoop
up a handful of water to dribble over her neck and arms. Heaven, pure heaven.
It was hard to think about danger when everything around her was so beautiful.
Feet still in the water, she let her gaze drift to the lush shore. Suddenly she
saw a flash of intense color. Holding on to the rail of the boat, she leaned
farther out, this time catching the hue of dusky skin.

"Maddie," she said softly.

"What did you say?" Zach asked.

"Maddie's out there!"

"Impossible. We've covered nearly twenty miles."

"It's her, I swear!" Liz braced herself and was
halfway to her feet when the log came alive with a hiss and sped toward the
boat.

"Gator!" Zach exclaimed. "Hang on, Liz!"

He swerved, sending Liz reeling, but she clung tightly to
the rail, staring in numb shock as the alligator rose from the water, wide jaws
revealing rows of sharp jagged teeth. In the blink of an eye, the creature
struck the bow of the boat. One hand still gripping the rail, Liz fell through
the open gate and dangled, with her feet underwater.

The reptile rushed toward her.

She twisted to grab the rail with her other hand, and tried
to walk up the side of the boat. The alligator slapped the water with its long
broad head, and the ensuing wake caused her feet to slip.
 
The creature was so close she could smell its
rotten breath, and she whirled her legs frantically in her attempt to scramble
up the side of the boat, never taking her eyes from the gaping jaws closing
down on her. She knew what alligators did, how they clamped their enormous
snouts around a body, then rolled and rolled in the water until the victim
drowned. She'd read about it, heard about it, but, dear God, she'd never
thought it would happen to her.

A blur crossed her line of vision. An oar.

Zach was standing above her, swinging the oar directly at
the reptile. It connected with the alligator's snout. The creature hissed, then
rolled in the water, reemerging to fight again.

It was the diversion Liz needed.

Her shoulder muscles screamed as she pulled herself up the
water-slick side of the boat. A moment later, she flipped over the side and
clawed her way across the ramp, its ribbed surface punishing her elbows and
knees almost beyond endurance.

An eternity passed, and then she was panting on the deck,
every inch of her body aching. Curses and bellows filled the air, along with
the sharp cracks of wood slamming against armored flesh. Liz forced herself to
scoot off the gate and began pushing it back in place.

"Forget it, dammit!" Zach shouted, swinging his
weapon one more time. "Get away!"

The alligator was still coming, swerving to escape Zach's
repeated blows, but keeping its glassy eyes pinned on her. All she could think
was that it would crawl up after them and swallow them whole, leaving nothing
of them to bury. She had to stop it. With trembling fingers, she slammed the
gate in place, fumbling for one of the pins. It slipped from her hand and the
gate started to fall back.

Zach shouted at her to move back, but she paid him no heed
as she pushed the gate back up. Just as she nearly had the first pin inserted,
the creature leaped straight out of the water, aiming for the ramp. Liz barely
escaped before the gate came crashing down, and the abruptness of her movements
sent her sprawling.

Easy prey.

The alligator seized the opportunity and lunged. It landed
half in the boat, almost on top of her. Its long whipping tail repeatedly
struck the attached pirogue, sending it into an obscene jig. Jaws of death
snapped violently, heading directly for Liz's face. Half-sitting, she scooted
backward, only to be stopped by the wall of the storage bench.

No escape. None. She brought her arms up to cover her face.
Images flashed in front of her clenched eyes. Her mother, her father, Zach and
Jed, and then, horribly, her own shredded corpse being placed in a casket. She
screamed.

Then she heard footsteps in front of her. She opened her
eyes just in time to see Zach drive the oar straight into the alligator's
snapping mouth. The stout cypress withstood the onslaught for mere seconds
before it fractured. Broken teeth and wood splinters scattered in all
directions. The alligator fell back from the boat, turning and diving, only to
rise and dive again. Churning water crashed around the craft with the ominous
knell of storm-tossed ocean waves.

Liz froze, bile rising in her throat as she watched the
creature's spiked teeth savage the oar. Realizing with terrifying clarity that
it could just as easily been her, she rose to her quivering knees. A touch on
her shoulder made her jump, and a squeak escaped her half-paralyzed throat.

"Goddamit, Liz!" Zach lifted her to her feet and
shook her. An instant later, he pulled her close, then pushed her away and
shook her again. She was too weak to protest or resist, and when he finally
pressed her to his chest, she simply allowed her head to fall on his shoulder.

"You little fool," he whispered hoarsely into her
hair. "Don't you realize I couldn't stand to lose you a second time?"

That could have been you between the gator's jaw, Liz."

He'd stopped shaking her and now had her close, so very
close. His ragged breath warmed her face, and his heated, trembling body took
her chill away. The boat moved slowly down the middle of the waterway,
unmanned. Behind them echoed the sounds of the alligator crushing the oar.

Liz shivered, letting Zach's strong arms enclose her,
letting him take care of her the way he used to, back in that sweet time before
she'd felt the need to flee.

She lifted her face, wanting to taste again the honeyed
flavor of his mouth. He cupped her chin, his steel-blue eyes reflecting the
shade of the sky and coming to rest on her parted lips. His head dipped ever so
slightly.

Liz sighed.

Zach's eyes narrowed and he stiffened. "I best get back
to the wheel before we run aground." She heard the edge to his voice, felt
contained fury come off him in waves.

She nodded and stepped back, then moved leaderdy to the
passenger seat and wrapped herself in her raincoat before collapsing.

She'd felt his horror at almost seeing her killed before his
eyes, and also sensed the earlier horror

he must have felt when he'd thought she'd drowned in the
bayou. But she didn't want to feel it. She'd done what she'd had to do, and she
refused to feel guilty because she'd failed to let him know that some other
runaway had been identified as her. Absolutely refused.

Zach glanced at Liz all huddled inside her raincoat, and his
mind fixated on the reality that Liz had let him believe she'd died. She hadn't
let him know it wasn't true, or apparently even let her parents tell him. A
cop, for Christ's sake, he'd been a cop. And now he was an investigator. He'd
had the means to track her down if he had known.

She hadn't wanted to be found! Why couldn't he get that
through his thick head? Everything about her proved she'd rejected her
heritage, and he was a part of it. She wouldn't let him back in. After her
deception, why the hell would he want back in anyway?

Until the gator showed up, he'd almost convinced himself he
didn't. But the image of that bull rolling and ripping the cypress oar apart
was burned into his mind's eye. Every time it popped up, he saw Liz between
those jaws instead of a stick of wood.

He bent for his flask, opened it, and took a long gulp.
You're drinking too much during daytime hours, he reminded himself, but took
another gulp anyway, drawing deeply on his willpower to recap the bottle and
return it to his pocket. The pleasant burn eased his inner trembling, and he
relaxed, some, allowing another thought to enter his mind.

He'd have sworn he'd seen a log ahead. Up to the moment the
gator attacked, he'd been sure they were approaching a log. Alligators usually
kept their bodies submerged, allowing only the bulging eyes to peek out. It was
odd for one to float so high in the water. Very odd.

Still, the incident was behind them now. He had to hold that
thought. Behind them, all behind them, and he didn't need another nip of vodka
to make that true.

"Zack " Liz's voice was soft, imploring, but he
didn't look at her. "Maddie
was
on the shore."

That made him turn. "You almost got
 
eaten by a gator and all you talk about is
Maddie Catalon?"

"She's hiding something. I know she
 
is."

A sneer wanted to form on Zach's lips, but he tried to hold
it back. "So what are you thinking, that she ran more than twenty miles by
land to put a curse on us? Why are you so obsessed with that woman?"

"You don't have to be sarcastic," she replied
evenly. "And you know why. Everyone knows . . . knew."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean she's out to get you.
Seems the other way around, you ask me."

"She's my father's— It's not right, she took away love
that belonged to my mother!"

"When're you gonna get it, Liz? Cajun men have had
mistresses, since . . . well, way back when. I'd hazard a guess it didn't
bother your ma as much as it bothers you."

"Oh, right! Hard-drinking womanizers, and being Cajun
explains it all!"

"When did you get so stubborn?"

"Look who's calling me stubborn!"

Zach blew out his breath and reached down for his flask.
"If it weren't for you making up your mind your father had taken off in
the bayou, we wouldn't even be here. And you sure as hell wouldn't have been in
danger of becoming alligator fodder. Did it ever occur to you that your pa
might be off on a bender?"

Liz flinched, then eyed him levelly. "I suppose you
know all about benders, don't you, Zach?"

"What?"

"You seem to like your liquor." She glanced down
at his searching hand, and he hated the way he jerked it back so fast.

"I like a drink or two,
cher
," he replied
breezily. "It mellows me out, but I keep it under control."

"Sure you do."

She let out a sigh that burned a hole in his armor, but he
refused to let it sting. Directing his eyes back to the waterway, he opened the
throttle a bit. "Check your ma's map again, will you?"

"The journal!" She quickly undid the button of her
pocket and snatched out the plastic bag. When she opened it, she let out a
relieved sound. "It stayed dry. It's about all I have left of Mama. I
would have been heartbroken if . . ."

"Yeah," Zach replied, more sharply than he'd
intended. He'd heard the ache in her voice, and wondered if tears would follow.
He understood her pain and felt a dangerous sympathy for her. She hadn't wanted
to be found, he reminded himself. She didn't want his support, his caring.
She'd left Port Chatre without a word— Damnit, he had to stop wishing for
something that would never be!